in a recent study published in Clinical Ophthalmology, researchers found that people with diabetes have a higher risk of dry eye disease.
It is known that both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes can cause many health complications.
One complication is retinopathy. It occurs when blood sugar levels are very high in the body and damage blood vessels in the eye.
Retinopathy can lead to retinal damage and vision problems.
Another eye problem from diabetes is dry eye disease. Common symptoms of the disease include blurred vision, burning, grittiness, dryness, itchiness, pain, and blindness.
Dry eye disease can strongly interfere with patients’ daily life activities, including driving, reading, writing and using phones and computers.
It can also lead to mental health problems.
However, this disease is not routinely checked in people with diabetes, and hence it is often untreated.
In this study, the team examined the relations among dry eye disease, quality of life, the presence of diabetic retinopathy in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
They tested 110 diabetes patients and 42 healthy people.
All of the people reported their eye health, quality of life, and other health conditions.
The team found about 40% of diabetic patients reported dry eye symptoms compared to 29% in the healthy group.
In addition, more people with type 2 diabetes reported the disease than people with type 1 diabetes.
The team also found dry eye disease symptoms were linked to a much lower quality of life in both types of diabetes.
They suggest that doctors need to perform routine screening for dry eye disease in people with diabetes.
This may help patients get timely and more effective treatment.
The research was conducted by a team from Glasgow Caledonian University and Diabetes Day Centre.
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